Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup

April 3, 2016Angela (Oh She Glows)

by Angela (Oh She Glows) on April 3, 2016

First off, thank you all so much for your excitement and congrats about our news! I really enjoyed reading your comments and stories. I’m also happy to hear my impending loss of sanity should only be temporary. Truthfully, I’m not sure that I ever got it back after our first!

Second of all, I’ve missed you dearly. I’ve missed blogging. I’ve missed posting recipes. I love sharing my favourite recipes and stories with you guys. Nothing makes me happier than creating something I adore and thinking about you trying it in your own kitchens! It feels so good to have more energy these days and also to wrap up some other massive projects.

Today’s recipe is most likely the last soup recipe I’ll post until next fall (*sad face*), but boy is it a great one to end on. As my dad likes to say, “It’s a humdinger!” Do you remember my Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup? Well, this soup reminds me a bit of that one, only it’s even better! Turmeric, coconut, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom create an incredibly healing and flavourful broth. I always say the test of a “vault-worthy” soup is whether you want to drink the broth on its own, and this one certainly fits the bill. A generous amount of turmeric makes it feel so healthy and powerful. Knowing that turmeric has so many anti-inflammatory benefits is always an added bonus, too!

My inspiration comes from a Whole Foods mason jar soup called “Spiced Lentil” that Eric picked up for me on a whim. Well, this soup blew me away. After glancing at the short ingredient list, I knew I could easily recreate it in my own kitchen. Or so I hoped! I scribbled down a recipe attempt and started cooking. The beauty of this soup is that it’s a “pantry” soup. I had every single ingredient on hand (and still do, which explains why I’ve been making it so much). The first batch turned out darn near perfect (actually, we liked my version more), and the second attempt was even better than the first. Poor Eric only got one bowl from the first batch. You gotta be quick around the pregnant lady! I’ll fight you.

If your weather is still cool, snowy, rainy, and dreary in early spring like it is here in Southern Ontario (we’re getting a snowstorm later today…*cries*), I hope you’ll enjoy this comforting soup. Even if it’s not cold where you are, I’d argue that breaking out into a light sweat while eating this is totally worth it!

4.9 from 296 reviews

Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup

This soup is so quick and easy because there aren’t many vegetables to chop (just garlic and onion—that’s it!) and it relies mostly on pantry staples. It takes 15 minutes prep time (that includes getting the ingredients out), and then it’s hands off while it cooks. Talk about easy! While this soup contains a lot of spices, it's not what I would call "spicy" or "hot". If you do want a kick of heat feel free to add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Also, feel free to change up the baby spinach for other greens like stemmed kale or chard. This soup is inspired by Whole Foods.

Yield7 cups (1.65 litres)

Prep time15 Minutes

Cook time20 Minutes

Total time35 Minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups (280 grams) diced onion (1 medium/large)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 (15-ounce/398 mL) can diced tomatoes, with juices

1 (15-ounce/398 mL) can full-fat coconut milk*

3/4 cup (140 grams) uncooked red lentils, rinsed and drained

3 1/2 cups (875 mL) low-sodium vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste (for a kick of heat!)

1 (5-ounce/140-gram) package baby spinach

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, add the oil, onion, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt, stir, and sauté over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion softens.

Stir in the turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and cardamom until combined. Continue cooking for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), entire can of coconut milk, red lentils, broth, salt, and plenty of pepper. Add red pepper flakes or cayenne, if desired, to taste. Stir to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a low boil.

Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-high, and simmer, uncovered, for about 18 to 22 minutes, until the lentils are fluffy and tender.

Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach until wilted. Add the lime juice to taste. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Ladle into bowls and serve with toasted bread and lime wedges.

Tips:

* I tried a version using light canned coconut milk and one using full-fat canned coconut milk, and I greatly prefer the full-fat coconut milk version (shocker, I know). I recommend following suit, but if all you have on hand is light canned coconut milk that’ll work in a pinch—it just won't be as rich and creamy.

congrats on the pregnancy! my sisters and I totally fan-girl over you! haha, not really, but we do all own your cookbook and are so thankful for the work you do & share! this recipe looks amazing, and totally speaks to my needs right now (as a fellow cold souther-ontarian today). thanks!

Hi Becky and Jamie, I haven’t tried using brown lentils yet, but I expect it should work although the flavour will change a bit (I find brown lentils a bit earthier tasting). Regarding red lentils turning to mush – it is true that they break down much more than, say French green lentils or common brown lentils. In this soup they are used to provide body and thickness as opposed to an intact “chewiness”. That being said, I’m sure French green lentils (which hold their shape) would add a whole other character to this soup so feel free to experiment! Hope this helps!

Hi Ladies – I just wanted to suggest substituting the red lentils with yellow split peas. I tend to not favor red lentils in soups such as this as they become mushy-textured in a flash on my electric stove. Yellow split peas stay nice and firm and flavorful and are a bit more color consistent with the spice profile here than green or brown lentils.

Either way, Ange – thanks as always for providing recipes I can trust to yield delicous results…I’ve never made one of your recipes that didn’t turn out perfectly, a feat that few if any of even my favorite vegan cookbook authors/recipe developers have achieved. (Oh, and congrats again!)

The first time I made it I used green lentils instead of red (I couldn’t find red at the store) and I did have to cook it a bit longer (like 5 minutes) but it tasted delightful (even my dad, who normally whines if there is no meat, liked it).

I made this recipe using a lentil trio to avoid doing just red lentils. It added variety and turned out great! I think it was the best of both worlds because the red lentils added to the thickness of the soup but the other lentils gave it some texture. I may try to experiment with some more veggies too, but all in all a solid recipe!

Yum! What timing, too… I had planned a curry lentil bowl for the family for supper today, but as of last night we were still driving around trying to find taro, the staple of the dish. I had never heard of taro! We tried whole foods, organic garage, goodness me…all with no luck. We were going to head into T.O. to an Asian grocer (I hear they carry it and call it dasheen) but the weather was crazed. So, a snowfall, below freezing temps and, quite probably, this soup will be the name of the day. I can’t have tomatoes, but I can scoop myself out a bowl and use something else to sour the soup for myself…do you think a bit if lemon juice would do it?
Eric should definitely not try to compete with a pregnant woman for food! You should try distracting him by sharing the dill pickles and then steal away the soup when he’s caught off guard!

Ok…made this already for family supper. The cardamom adds a complexity that I love! i have never flavoured a soup with cardamom before today. My husband commented on how delicious the scent is and says that curry and coconut milk are a match made in heaven. So is this bowl of soup on this snowy spring day :)

I found this recipe, via Buzzed, and so glad that I did. I just made this for lunch, and took your suggestion liz and added curry leaves and ginger as I had some on hand. I love that I have all the ingredients needed for this recipe in the cupboard. Love!

I was so happy to see this post!!! I just made this and it came out wonderful and delicious! A beautiful soup to warm and nourish with this last bit of winter hanging on! Thank you so much for yet again a fabulous recipe!!!!

So good! Just made it and it is wonderful! Was planning on making your other spiced red lentil soup (one of my absolute faves!) and instead made this one. Love this one just as much!! BTW, it hit almost 80 degrees today in California but I seriously can have soup no matter what the temperature is outside. Thank you for another terrific recipe!

Love all your recipes Angela! you are a staple at my house. I made this soup and its nice but in my opinion needed some heat. Next time will add some ginger to the garlic and onion. Also have your blueberry spelt muffins in the oven as we speak (which I make all the time and LOVE!)

Hi Jan, great question! I would recommend replacing it with a thick homemade cashew milk, if possible. My suggestion would be to blend 1 1/2 cups water with 3/4 cup soaked and drained cashews until smooth. Stir this in rather than the can of coconut milk. If cashews aren’t an option an unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk might work in a pinch (although it won’t be as creamy and rich). Hope this helps!

Hi and Greetinga from the UK. I was scrolling down the comments as I also wanted to ask the same question re what alternative to full fat coconut milk. Thanks for replying to Jan’s question. I can now try the soup too! A suggestion for other recipes that contain coconut milk or oil would be to perhaps make an added note to the recipe. I am looking forward to the release of your new cook book. As I have to avoid coconut products are you able to tell me if it the book contains a high percentage of recipes that use coconut oil and milks? If so do you suggest alternatives in the recipes. Good Luck with your book release! Thanks.

It’s so great to have you back and blogging again, Ange! This soup sounds absolutely amazing, and perfect for the weather you guys are getting over there. (If you need to escape it for a little west coast adventure though, you know who to call!) I’ve been buying the little fresh turmeric roots from Whole Foods lately and love adding it freshly-grated to curries. That stuff is potent, I tell ya! I was going to say that I’d look for the lentil mason jar soup next time I’m there, but now I think I’ll just make yours instead! :)

HI Angela. This looks amazing. I’m needing to make a soup for an upcoming retreat I’m running (and yes, I’m in Kitchener and we got a beautiful snow fall last night- I LOVE IT!!) but I want a soup that I can make in the slow cooker. Any professional cooking advise on whether this would work or not and if so how long would you cook and at what temp? I need it done for 12pm. thanks for any advise you can offer.

I just wanted to say thank you for doing what you do! My daughter has been vegetarian for 3 years and is moving towards being vegan. Your site and book have been sanity saving! Real food, real ingredients, not heavy on soy, and even my other two children are picking up some good habits!

I’m trying this soup (or my variation of it) today… perfect for an April snow day (wth??)

I could not wait to make this yesterday!!! I whipped it up after a seven hour road trip and it took no time at all! I love when recipes mostly involve opening cans and minimal chopping! Less dishes = happy wife.

This soup was so delicious, My dad and husband each had three servings. I’m so glad I doubled it up, and would highly recommend doing so. The combination of flavours is so divine, I’ll definitely be visiting this recipe in the colder months!

I love your recipes, but I do wish you would post nutritional information – so important for someone like me who needs to count calories. Sometimes I avoid trying recipes just because I don’t have that information.

If you are very concerned about calories My Fitness Pal is a terrific app where you can manually enter in all the ingredients from a recipe, the amount of people the recipe is intended to serve and it will tell you the calories for one portion. I’m not sure your motivation for counting calories but the nice thing is, with Angela’s recipes you know they’re healthy and good for you, so with portion control it should be perfect :-)

Well. I did it, both the soup ( delicius), and I entered the recipe in MFP… But… OMG.. I dividee in 12 portions, and each portion is… 221 calories… Too much.. I cannot afford it, i need to lose 5 kilos urgently…

Maru, are you sure you entered right numbers for calculations? I’ve analyzed nutritional values for 7 portions / 1 cup = 1 serving (in my opinion if you divide this proportions into 12, you may need some effort to in searching for the soup in the bottom of a bowl).
From my calculations each portion provides 264 kcal | Protein 8g | Fat 16.75g | Carbohydrates 24.5g | Fiber 5.1g | Sugars 4.5g. From my point of view this results are OK if you concern this soup as a complex meal. You can reduce significantly the amount of fat (and calories) by using light coconut milk or other type of non-dairy milk as Angela suggested. When you are on reduction it is important to deliver to you body whole spectrum of nutrients and also to make your brain feel your stomach is full.

Can’t wait to make this soup today! I’m the queen of soup making according to my friends and family. Lol. I’m going to use kale instead of spinach, since that is what I have in my fridge. Also, I’m going to add diced fresh carrots. For me, I can’t eat lentils without carrots, they just go hand in hand.

So many fantastic and exciting things happening in the Oh She Glows household!! :D This soup looks absolutely amazing. It’s actually snowing here in CT right now, so I’m craving something warm and comforting like this!

Hi Andrea, I haven’t calculated the nutritional information, but if you pop the recipe into a free online tool like NutritionData.com or CalorieCount.com, you should be able to find out the calorie count per serving pretty quickly. Hope this helps! Enjoy the soup!! :)

Mmmmm, I will try with Sriracha sauce to make it hotter… also, when I have fresh spinach that is too far for eating raw, I put it in the freezer, then add it to soups or rice. This seems like a nice place to spend-my-spinach-stash. Thanks for the warmth, today is a little colder than I can happily endure. This soup looks like just the trick to keep me until spring. thanks! Michèle-freezing-in-Montreal-QC-Canada

Hi Dianne, I haven’t calculated the nutritional info for this recipe myself, but if you go to an online tool like CalorieCount.com or NutritionData.com and plug in the recipe info, you should be able to get a breakdown pretty quickly. Hope this helps!

This soup was fantastic, a big hit in our household. I’ll be doubling the recipe next time. I love all of your soups; this one was extra easy/ quick because the only chopping was onions & garlic. I have made so many recipes from your book; I’ve been happy with every one of them. You have helped made our transition from vegetarian to vegan very easy with recipes that are appealing, simple and delicious. Thank you!

Wow!!! Just finished making the soup and it’s awesome! I decided to add chopped carrots for added sweetness. I had to make a few substitutes since my car is in for repairs and I couldn’t go to the store. I discovered I didn’t have full fatted coconut milk on hand, but I did have a can of coconut cream from Trader Joes. It added so much creamy richness. I also discovered I didn’t have tumeric on hand, so I used powdered yellow curry from Whole Foods since one of the ingredients is tumeric. It’s turned out to be a flavorful substitute. Lastly, once the soup had finished cooking, I added a cup of chopped fresh tomatoes, parsley and thai basil. Can’t wait to make this soup again!!!

Hi Claudia, I haven’t tried it myself, but I can’t see why you couldn’t. I’m sure soaking the lentils beforehand would also cut down on the soup’s cook time which would be a nice bonus. Please let us know how it goes if you try it!

Yay, another soup recipe! (We had soul soothing African peanut stew tonight for dinner.) This one, with turmeric, is perfectly timed as I’m recovering from knee surgery. I made your mushroom, sundried tomato & tofu quiche recipe last night. It’s a winner! I’m so glad you’re here taking the time to develop such great plant based recipes & sharing them with the world!

Thank you for the recipe! There is nothing more I love than red lentils,especially when it’s a cold weather/bad weather ( all the time in England ).
My teenage daughters just became vegeterians so this is perfect to get protein,I tried a simple lentil soup before,lentils,mushrooms,tomatoes,carrots,onions and garlic and we loved it so much we made it everyday,but it does get boring so this is perfect to ”spice things up”.

We are big fans of the red lentil soup so I knew I needed to try this recipe asap! I just finished making it and it’s just as delicious as it looks. I love the spice combination. I didn’t have canned tomatoes so I subbed that for four medium tomatoes and I used kale instead of spinach. It turned out amazing! Can’t wait for the husband to try it! :)

Yay I just whipped up this soup for dinner and it’s so tasty!! I added a chopped sweet potato and oh my yum. Thank you Angela! I’m going to try this with ginger next time and perhaps made in the slow cooker…..:)

This looks divine! Nothing beats a crappy snow storm with a bowl of lentil soup, especially with the spices you put in. Hmm! On another note, I read somewhere about half-fat or lite coconut milk is actually coconut milk diluted in water (half coconut milk and half water). Therefore, i don’t know i that’s just me but if I am going to use coconut milk, I prefer using the full fat stuff so I get the whole stuff rather than some diluted stuff.

Perfect timing. I couldn’t figure out what to make for dinner tonight and then yup, there it was. This soup was very tasty and easy though I had to make due with lemon instead of lime and chard instead of spinach. Now we look forward to trying it true to recipe. Even my daughter who hates “soup” liked the flavors and for her we call it dahl ;-)
Thank you so much and congratulations!

Wow, this is the exact recipe I need now that it seems like spring got scared and left (It’s even supposed to snow this week !!!) Congrats on having to change the «the book» and «baby» tab on your website for plurals ;)

Hello Angela. First off I would like to say that I loved this soup! You make such healthy, flavorful food and I am a big fan! My husband who is a healthy eating carnivore is also starting to love your food as well. He usually picks out a cookbook and then plans the grocery list from there. Yesterday he pulled your cookbook so that is a definite confirmation of your wonderful tasting recipes! You are also helping his health which I appreciate immensely! Thank you for your great tasting food and keep it coming! Very excited for the new book!

Hi Mary, To be honest, I’ve never had much luck when adding uncooked quinoa to soup. I don’t know why, but my quinoa never seems to get fluffy. That said, if you want to give it a shot I would add it when you add the lentils. It might need a slightly longer cook time, and more broth, so keep an eye on it. Please let me know how it goes!

This is delicious! I love how I was able to quickly put it together between my kids’ carpools…and now I’m enjoying having a bowl of it even though it’s nowhere near dinner time! Thank you for another great recipe. And congratulations on your pregnancy! It might get crazy at times, but try not to be too hard on yourself, take care of yourself, and try to enjoy it. It goes by fast! (I had 5 kids in 9 years, and I never believed people when they said it would fly by, but it has).

This soup is SO good and so simple to make. My husband thought it might be one of the best soups he ever had! I am not much of a cook and was tickled pink at how well it turned out. Usually the next time I try a recipe I double up on all the spices, but I will not on this one. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful vegan recipe :)

Wow this looks incredible. I just want to say how much of an inspiration you are. I am just beginning my journey into food blogging (mainly just to share with family and friends for now as I build it up) and hope to one day be as successful and knowledgeable as you! Since winter just returned to us overnight here in Alberta, I think this soup may be a great option for the next coming days. Looking forward to trying this out!!

Delicious.
Easy.
Ready in no time and tastes even better the next day.
I used kale as I didn’t have any spinach on hand.
Also used full fat coconut milk – tasted amazingly delicious, of course, but I might try with low-fat next time. Having a hard time with the fact I ate an entire can of full fat coconut milk to myself – this soup was too good to share!

Angela, this soup is amazing! I did add a little bit of Thai basil I had frozen in oil, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I love how easy the recipe is too. I will be making everyone jealous with my lunches this week!

Yummm, it smell so good in my house right now ! I just made it and it`s perfect for my flu…
and my new goal; turmeric every day ! Since so much time i follow you Angela… you never stop suprising me… i just made your gluten free snickerdoodles this week and i`m in heaven since i taste it. :)) Thank you so much

Simmering on the stove right now, and WOW! The aroma in my kitchen is ridiculously incredible! Already tasted the broth and it’s beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing– your recipes are always reliably awesome :D

This soup was perfect for tonight. I had a horrible day and the only words I can come up with to describe this soup is that it is a hug for the soul. Thank you for this awesome recipe! My only regret is that I only made 1 batch. ;)

This tastes and smells amazing! I made it exactly like you said except I sauteed the garlic and onion in coconut oil instead. As well as using water instead of broth since I didn’t have any, though I reduced the amount of water so it wouldn’t dilute the soup, which it most definitely didn’t! I also used fresh tomatoes, which tastes so fresh and yum! Enjoying a big bowl of your soup right now! Mmmm. Thank you for this simple and delicious recipe! I am 13 and my mom is very happy that I love cooking. :)

Dear Angela
I just made this recipe and its OMG amazing! Soon yummmo :) I followed the recipe exactly just used coconut oil instead of olive oil and used baby kale instead of baby spinach. Its very flavorful and creamy. Thank you for all your hard work creating these awesome glowing recipes – this is another keeper.
Best
Mima

Hi Angela
Thank you for your creativity.
I loved this soup so much I wrote an entire blog about it. I hope you don’t mind.
https://inbodyinmind.wordpress.com/2016/04/06/its-a-good-day-for-a-bowl-of-soup/
Thanks again. I love your blog.
Lindi

I made this for dinner last night and posted a picture of it on my Instagram! It is delicious! Of course, when I read that it was similar to the Red Lentil Kale Spiced Soup I knew it would amazing. That soup is one of my favorites!

Congrats on the newest ventures in your life! It’s always wonderful to watch the journeys of those who are inspirational to me.

Delicious! Had to substitute garam masala for the spices since cardamom seeds were crazy expensive at my store but it worked just fine and this soup is so fantastic, I’m eating it for breakfast as I type this!

With a vegan son and a vegetarian daughter, I’m always looking for new recipes to try. This was really delicious and the house smelled wonderful! I liked that I had almost all of the ingredients on hand, except for the cardamom. I substituted nutmeg, and that seemed to work well.

I tried the red lentil-kale soup from your cookbook last night and it was fabulous! (and just the right meal as I live in Sault Ste Marie and we have about 10 cm of snow on the ground with more to come …). In any case, I just wanted to tell you that I LOVE your cookbook and am looking forward to the next one. Cheers!

I made this soup last night and it was delectable! I had bookmarked this recipe 3 days ago and I finally did it. Your directions were straight to the point and very easy to follow. It was perfect for yesterday’s frigid weather out here in NY. My husband loved the soup and we both had seconds! Thank you for this wonderful recipe :) Guess what I’m having for lunch today?

Hi Liz, so happy to hear you loved the soup when you finally got a chance to try it! It’s definitely a great dish for this unseasonably cold weather it seems lots of us are getting right now. I’m happy I could help you and the husband stay warm! Enjoy the leftovers!

I have recently started to change my diet to be 7:3 ratio plant-based and I love your blog. One of my biggest challenges so far is finding cool looking recipes to make and your blog is absolutely amazing for me to find inspiration from.
Lots of Love,
Bee

Yep, you got it! The unsweetened coconut milk you get in the cans. I hope you enjoy the soup when you make it, and that it keeps you nice and toasty.:) And thanks for the congrats wishes, they’re much appreciated!

The soup was delicious — easy to make yet full of wonderful flavor combinations and so healthy! This was my first time using red lentils (I use black and brown ones mostly) and I’m hooked. The soup was even better the next day.

Will you be developing any more protein-bite recipes? I’m looking for post-workout healthy snacks. Ones that I can even bring with me in the car so that I don’t rush to eat something not nourishing because I’m starving. I made your chocolate nut/seed bites and loved them. Thanks.

Hey Jane, That’s a great idea! I would also recommend my Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites for an easy on the go option, or even my Glo Bars (I have two recipes for them in my first book). I’ll definitely start thinking about coming up with a new recipe too.

Congrats on you great news, Angela!!! : ) I made this soup for lunch today. I’m a huge fan of the ‘On the Mend’ soup from The OSG cookbook, so I knew I had to try this right away. Plus, we’re experiencing retroactive snowy winter here in New England as well, so a soup is much needed! I *LOVE* this soup. Soothing, creamy and comforting. And filling/satisfying! (I think it’s the full-fat coconut milk! Ha!). I thought I would need to add some heat to it per my preference but I really loved it as is. I added a little extra garlic (because that’s how I roll ;) but I really think it doesn’t need a thing! This soup is decidedly different in the best way. Thank you!

My 14 year old daughter made this for me to come home to tonight and it’s amazing (as is my daughter). How delicious! It’s the first recipe we’ve eaten from your website and hopefully one of many to come.
Thank you.

This was great! I had almost all of the ingredients on hand, as you said – just bought an onion. I read that someone else used a can of coconut milk from Trader Joe’s (NOT full fat), which I did as well and I was perfectly happy with the result. My 11-year-old recently-turned-vegan-from-vegetarian daughter (her decision by the way), who is not a fan of too spicy, enjoyed the soup very much, so I think you hit it just right, as far as making it accessible but still flavorful.

Hey Joy, I’d recommend replacing it with a thick homemade cashew milk, if possible: blend 1 1/2 cups water with 3/4 cup soaked and drained cashews until smooth, then stir this in rather than the can of coconut milk. If cashews aren’t an option an unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk might work in a pinch (although it won’t be as creamy and rich). Hope this helps!

Love, love, love this soup recipe! I’ve made it twice this week already. It’s easy to make. All my kids enjoyed it. What more could I want? Okay, if I’m truthful your chia pancake recipe I keep seeing you post pictures of on Snapchat. Much happiness & health to you and your family always.

Congratulations on your good news! Meh, sanity is highly overrated, anyway, and not that useful in a parent anyway. You’re making me misty-eyed for when my girls were little. They’re 2 1/2 years apart (on purpose, just like your babies), and very close, although one is away at college. The youngest goes off next year. My oldest is an omnivore herself, but all of her housemates are vegan and they always eat together, so I mailed off this recipe right away — both economical and delicious for the “starving student”. We’re having really hot weather (85 degrees F) here in central CA, but when the weather cools down this weekend, you bet I’m making this!

Thank you so much for this (and all) recipe!! Made it tonight and it was delicious!! With a toddler I often sacrifice taste in order to make something quick while chasing her around. This recipe was quick and easy and had such amazing flavor. Much appreciated!!

I saw your previews of this recipe on snapchat and after you posted the recipe on the site I practically ran to the store to pick up the ingredients. :) I made this last night and am happy to report that it was super easy to make and de-freaking-licious. I ate leftovers tonight and it was still just as (if not more so!) flavorful after sitting in the fridge for a day. Five stars fo sho

I just made this for dinner and it was fantastic! I’m a new Mom of two and dinner is something I have yet to re-master in our new life and thankfully this quick and delicious dinner actually made it on he table on time! AND my picky 2 year old ate her entire bowl.

I literally had this recipe on my mind all day at work and was forever starting at your glorious pictures imaging what it was taste and smell like. I finished work at almost 9pm and as soon as I got home I cooked it up in no time. It is now awaiting to be eaten tomorrow for lunch. I had a sneaky bowl before bed of cause. YUM! I also added a grated zucchini that was in desperate need of being used and worked a treat. Thanks for sharing.

Amazing recipe! Similar ingredients to the daal, which i was originally going to make, but opted for this one because it’s a mild dish I can share with roommate that does not like spice. So threw carrots (from daal ingredients) in as well. Everyone loved it! So much flavor, and the lime really adds a great tangy flavor. It’s a dish that really makes you feel good after eating, my husbands says it has sabor! :) Thank you!

Angela – this is one of the yummiest soups I’ve ever eaten. It was a huge hit in our house, especially with me because it was so easy to throw together. Is it okay for me to share this recipe on my blog, with credit given to you, of course?

Hi Kristen, I’m so happy the soup is a hit, and of course you can share the recipe on your blog. If you haven’t changed the original recipe, I prefer that you simply link back to my post. But, if you’ve changed the recipe significantly, feel free to post it along with your changes and a link to the original recipe.

We made this soup yesterday using kale instead of spinach and adding a diced fennel bulb. It was really good, thanks! Even the kids liked it when we removed the kale bits from their plates ;)

I’m not a big fan of canned coconut milk usually (it’s too sweet maybe) so this time I tried making my own by adding hot water to some creamed coconut. And somehow it was just right! I also prefer creamed coconut because there is no water or other stuff added, it’s just pure coconut.

This is a little off-topic, but I’m looking for some good sauce recipes to combine with other things in delicious vegan bowl recipes. I’m sure I saw a template somewhere for this idea, but can’t for the life of me find it now. If it wasn’t on your blog, do you have a list somewhere of great sauces? Thanks so much!
PS – And congrats on your new baby. My first 2 were 23 months apart, and the best advice I have is to remember that the older one is still a baby too! She looked so much bigger than the new one, I think I expected too much of her…..(but she did turn out great anyway!)

Hi Angela….I made this last night for dinner and I’m eating leftovers for lunch today. I might just make it again tonight. This is one of the easiest, tastiest soups I’ve ever made! You hit it out of the ballpark with this one!

It’s been fun beta-testing the app. I really can’t wait for it to be launched!

And congratulations on Baby #2! Exciting things are happening for you and your family!

I made this soup the day you posted it even though we were over 80 degrees where I live. It was so delicious and my favorite lentil soup I’ve ever had! This will definitely be a recipe I make again and again….and eat for breakfast. Is that weird? :)

Every time my diet is out of control and I need to “reign it in” a little, I always go directly to your website and cookbook. Delicious recipes, attractive food, simple easy-to-follow directions, and life altering results all keep me coming back for more. I find the email with new recipes great reminders to try new things as well as to treat myself right. I’m looking forward to the app. Thank You!!!!!

Hi Angela! I love your website so much. Just wanted to say congrats on your second pregnancy!! I just had my first in November and love reading all your baby posts and comparing notes with what my little one is doing now. Hope the second trimester is treating you better than the first. Can’t wait to try this lentil soup recipe!!!

Congratulations! So happy for you. I do hope you’ll be writing pregnancy posts again as I enjoyed reading about them a lot last time! My son was born last October and I re-read all your posts when I was pregnant.

Here in Australia Autumn has just begun so it’s the perfect weather for this recipe. Two other girls and myself always have a “Healthy Friday” at work on Fridays where everyone brings a nice healthy dish and we share all dishes at lunch. And this soup was the best! We absolutely loved the flavour :D Thank you, I’ll be making a batch and freezing it for the future!

Hi Denise, I’m happy hear you and your friends enjoyed this soup! Thank you so much for your congratulations, and congrats to you as well on your little one. I’m sending you and your family lots of warm wishes.

I’m in love with this recipe, it’s truly delicious! The only mistake I made was not doubling it because it went fast!! My 18 month daughter loved it as well and the major bonus was I didn’t have to shop for one ingredient. Thank you so much Angela for another amazing recipe :)

Angela – it is SO wonderful to hear your voice again :)…and CONGRATULATIONS on the pregnancy , app and all that you have going on…you are truly thriving!
Thanks for another phenomenal recipe…and yes – it is snowing here again (didn’t snow much all winter when we wanted it and now that we don’t want it…..)…another life lesson that we cannot control the weather so just let it go and …make soup :)

Wow, this is so yummy!
I work as a chef for a family and while I myself eat entirely plant based, the family does not as they have three children with very different tastes. I try to sneak in 100% plant based meals a few times a week and they are hit or miss. I added carrots to this and I am keeping the spinach out until serving times as I know two of the kids will freak about green things floating in their bowls. I’m pairing this with earth balance butter garlic bread and i have a feeling it will be a ‘hit’. Thanks for another great recipe!

This was so good! I didn’t have cardamom, so I just omitted and I only had light coconut milk on hand, but my whole family loved it, all three kids including the picky one! I will be adding this to my list of soups. Thanks Angela- I love your recipes!

Angela,
What an awesome soup! I made it tonight & my husband absolutely loved it!!!!! He said it was just the right amount of lentils as he likes “brothy” type soups. I like a little less broth but thought this was perfect! Wouldn’t change a thing! I served it with a grilled cheese made with daiya cheese. Thanks so much for all you do! Congrats on the pregnancy! Your little girl is so cute!

Thank you for your congrats, Cindy! I’m so happy to hear the recipe was a hit. (Grilled cheese sounds like a great accompaniment – soup and grilled cheese is just one of those perfect combinations, isn’t it?)

This is the Indian dal palak recipe which is a very popular dish in India. I think you ought to give credit when you take a common recipe from another country. This is called appropriation of other cultures!

Meera,
I was simply recreating a soup that I had purchased at the grocery store which was called spiced lentil soup. I have not heard of Indian dal palak before, but will definitely have to check it out now.

This recipe is awesome! I made it today, but added 8 oz of boneless skinless chicken breast, diced 1/2-inch. (Hubby and I are adding protein to our diets as we work towards slimmer versions of ourselves.) I think this soup will be a staple recipe!

Thank you so much for this amazing recipe, Angela! I made this this evening, because despite what the calendar says, it was snowing today and felt like winter. I love red lentil dal at restaurants, but all the recipes I’ve tried at home in the past to recreate them have fallen short… until now! This was fantastic and it was so comforting. We like our food a little spicy, so added about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne, and it was perfect!

I made this for dinner tonight and it was super yum! We toasted some naan with vegan butter and garlic on the side. It was a super cold day here in southern NYS and snowed all day. This soup is so warming. It was perfect. Thank you for all your great work.

Oh my, I made this recipe this afternoon with the intention of having it for lunches this upcoming week….but I can’t stop sampling it….It’s just so good…..very warm and satisfying…10 out of 10 my dear :) !

I have never made a recipe of yours and been disappointed and this was no exception!!!! I had the same reaction to my first taste of this soup as I did when I made your African peanut stew the first time, I said out loud in my kitchen, by myself, “holy crap!!”. It is that good!!! And such little prep work for this one too!!! Thank you for creating the most delicious vegan recipes I’ve tried, so looking forward to cookbook number 2 :)

Made this tonight & it was wonderful! Perfect for this cool, damp, windy weather. I picked up nan bread at the local Indian restaurant for a treat to accompany the soup. Thanks for all your delicious recipes Angela!

Just made this recipe for lunches this week and it’s so good! Love the broth. Only thing though is I realized my tomatoes were “italian seasoned with oregano”… Oops haha. Thanks for the great recipe, once again!

I made this tonight and thought it was amazing. I thought the spices were perfect and coconut milk made it awesome. My daughter didnt really like it she thought the cinnamon gave it a sweet taste. More for me!!

Can’t wait to try this one – I discovered your blog earlier this year and have been living off Spiced Red Lentil Soup (I’m actually having it for lunch right now at work), Luxurious 7-Vegetable and “Cheese” Soup, Sun-dried Tomato, Mushroom, and Spinach Tofu Quiche (I love this – if anyone has the measures in metric system please share with me as I keep making more of the crust than needed) and Warm + Roasted Winter Salad Bowl. Thank you soooo much for adding the measurements in the metric system <3

I just made this for the second time, and it is amazing! This time, I threw in some extra veggies (orange bell pepper, carrot, and asparagus). I can also imagine adding cauliflower or tofu. And it tastes great over jasmine rice. I will be making this again. I love it!

This Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup is amazing and beautiful! I used fresh nettle leaves in lieu of the spinach because I had just picked up some at the farmers market, and I fixed some rice to have with it since the hubby likes a very hearty dish. Yum–a perfect recipe! Thank you for sharing! :)

I made this soup for dinner last night and as advertised, it was easy, quick and VERY tasty! I didn’t have any cardamom on hand but I don’t think that made a difference. I’m not sure what I’m missing. :-)

Hi Angela and Greetings from the UK. I was scrolling down the comments as I have been advised to avoid coconut milk and oil to see if anyone requested a substitution for coconut milk, I was pleased to read a question from ‘Jan’ asking for an alternative and you replied with a substitution (thanks for that as I can now make the soup recipe too).

I have a couple of further questions:-

Does your new cookbook book contain a lot of recipes using coconut oil or milks? Where these products appear do you have added notes of alternative suggestions to try?

Hi Nina, Yes the new book contains a fair amount of recipes calling for coconut oil and plant-based milk, however I’m not sure of the exact count. I don’t tend to provide substitutions for milk because I figure that you can use any kind you enjoy without much worry. For coconut oil, it’s essential in some desserts (such as a no bake fudge), but in cooking recipes it can be subbed for your preferred oil. Hope this helps!

Dear Angela,
I cooked the delicious Glowing Spiced Lentil soup last night and we all loved it. I am shining with your recipes among the meat-eater’s members of my family!!.
I cook mostly vegan meals from your recipes when it is my turn to cook and I am loving it !
Thank you !!

I am so happy to hear you all enjoyed the soup, Monica. I always try to make sure my recipes will be crowd-pleasers – for vegans, meat-eaters, and everyone in between! – and it’s so rewarding to hear when I’ve been successful. Thank you for the lovely comment!

This soup was fantastic! I cannot recommend it enough! It made plenty of soup to feed 3 hungry folks for dinner and I have lunch for 2 days. It had a wonderfully creamy texture with a nice tangy flavor. It feels so good to add turmeric for the inflammatory benefits. I added a tad of ginger to balance out the spices, but it isn’t needed. I think this is my favorite OSG recipe yet!

i made this last night and my husband and i loved it! added 1/4 tsp chili flakes for extra heat. truly simple to make, a great combo of spices, warming and nourishing. another great recipe angela – you never disappoint! :-) xo

This soup is awesome! Actually, all of my favorite soups have come from this website or the OSG cookbook (African Peanut Stew anyone??). I am so thankful I found this site last year and I have become the lunch envy of the office several times from these recipes!

I added red pepper flakes to the dish and it’s a nice kick to compliment the spices. I had this for lunch today and ended up having several other spoons showing up at my desk for a taste test! The link to this soup definitely made its way around the office today.

This was so delicious! I typically don’t eat bread but would definitely buy some to soak this broth up! Next time I may add potatoes or brussels because I didn’t find that it was super packed-I was imagining it more stew like. the Lime is a perfect touch and I added fresh cilantro at the end! so good!

Made this soup the other day, really delicious and so simple to make. I didn’t have cardamon or cinnamon, I added some paprika and cayenne chilli powder. Really lovely, thanks for a great recipe, I’m sure to be making this again!

Are lentils really gluten free??? So a warning! I loved the look of your soup and made a HUGE pot and gobbled it down! Delicious! Then 30 mins later I got my usual sign that I’ve eaten wheat. Massive stomach bloat and horrible stomach ache. I presumed that it must have been the stock…. So today I tried again! Another huge pot (3 times the recipe) and I put only Vegan wheat free stock in. I just tried a tsp of it. 30 mins later, same thing, in fact I still look 9 months pregnant. In the supermarket, i looked at the packets of red lentils and guess what…? “Not suitable for those with a wheat allergy due to the manufacturing process.” I feel betrayed by the supermarket! Red lentils with wheat???! Good job my partner can eat it all instead! But thought I would warn your readers!

Have been waiting a whole week to make this since I read the recipe and it was well worth it! This soup is delicious! The whole family enjoyed it, including the kids. This is going to be an every week soup for awhile!

Thank you for yet another delish soup. I have come down with a cold and was feeling like, well you know and had to be out with my daughter until after 7pm last night. My lovely hubby made this for me and it was hot and ready to go when I came home. Not really feeling like eating but the smell got me and it had me at the first spoonful. This was the perfect supper and I can imagine it will taste even better when the tastebuds return post cold. Genius I say, just genius.
Terri

Hi there, Love love love your website. I’m hoping to start a blog too, but it all seems to be stored on my hard drive and no time to get posting. Question: love your soup, but not a fan of canned coconut milk, have you ever husked a coconut and blended the water and meat together? And how about fresh chopped toms rather than canned? My daughter has significant allergies and cannot tolerate any processed food that has been preserved.

Hi Amanda, No, I haven’t – I’m afraid my coconut husking skills aren’t the best! hah. Let us know if you try it out. And I haven’t used fresh tomatoes myself, but a number of other readers have tried it and enjoyed the results. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you give it a try with your modifications, and good luck starting that blog!

This soup is amazing. My kids each had seconds!! It is filling, nourishing, and comforting while not being heavy! I used lite coconut milk and it was still incredibly delicious and creamy. Love this soup, this recipe is a must try-must keep.

I made this this past weekend (though I used green lentils instead because that was all I could find). So so good. Even my dad liked it! I just whipped up some more but added a diced sweet potato (I like to mess around with recipes and add things) which made a nice addition (I just tossed it in when I added the lentils… and I actually found red ones this time!).

Angela
I am a huge fan. I am enjoying your new app and I made many recipes in your cook book, winning many fans when they tried the ten spice veg soup. Your black bean sweet potatoe enchilada is outstanding and I have not tried your recent revision. I found the glowing spiced lentil soup a little bland. I added more cumin,salt, pepper, cayenne. Everyone in the comments seems to love it though so I am the outlier. Your recipes are “flavor bombs” but this one not so much.

Oh, my word! This is one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted! I made it last night and was craving another bowl all day today!! YUM!! I really appreciate how quick and easy it was to make, too…which I made using your fabulous app! Thanks for sharing!

This was amazing. One of the best meals I have made in a long time, vegan or no vegan! We recently made the switch to a plant-based diet and this one of the most satisfying and tasty dishes we have tried. Thank you!:)

I made the recipe using bok choy instead of spinach (because that’s what i had on hand) and it was very delicious… we also grow swiss chard in our garden which will be another great substitue for the spinach… very tasty recipe – thanks for sharing.

I made this soup for dinner guests along with the Lentil Walnut Loaf, both were a huge success! I’ve made the soup a few times since and get requests for the recipe on every go. The Lentil Walnut Loaf is to die for. I really love your recipes Angela. You’ve changed my cooking forever!

Second time in a month I’ve made this amazing soup Angela….discovered a little secret with the first batch…..it improves beautifully with “age.” Allowing it to sit in the fridge for a couple of days and then reheating really brings out its full flavour potential…….love it, love it, love it. Thanks!!!

Just made this soup (because it’s still chilly in Ottawa in late April!) and it was amazingly! My new go to soup for a quick weekday dinner or when I want to impress! I used kale instead of baby spinach and it was just delicious.
Absolutely making it again.

Hi, First of all well done! what a delight to have found you. I sell your book in my store but actually never opened it until lately. I’ve been veggie since I was 17… 40 years but just started adopting a vegan lifestyle for education purposes, health of course but also for my customers who ask and need answers. It isn’t a big leap for me but my sweet (has not been vegetarian but eats what I do mostly) husband, it is a big step not to do mayo, meats, sweets and the usual fare for someone who lives on the periphery of health by choice. Tom is trying his best, hasn’t consumed dairy or meats for over a month and actually very little bread etc that were fillers for him. my question… round about way, is this, while I have given him a digestive enzyme to help with the transitions, he is still often bloated and not experiencing what I do, which is a richer experience. Do you have a place he can research for others experiencing this change of life so that I am not his conduit. I have had my health food store for 30 years and find myself needing to take another leap into an arena with little solid experience. You seem to have done a lot in your time with being vegan… any suggestions? Bye for now, Penny

Hi Penny, Thank you for your lovely comment! That’s so great you are both making changes together as a team. I don’t know of any resources offhand, but I would recommend speaking with a registered dietitian or a naturopath, as I’m sure they could help out in the digestive issues area. Good luck!

This was fantastic. My toddler was NOT happy when I set her bowl in front of her, she hasn’t been a fan of soup for a while now. I made jasmine rice to go with it, so once it was all mixed together she tried it and said ‘mom why didn’t you tell me this was going to be good?’ She not only finished her first bowl but had seconds. Great recipe!

I’ve made this recipe twice now and it is WONDERFUL! The combination of spices is just so warm and restorative plus the lime juice at the end gives it a nice kick. We used baby kale instead of spinach since I have a sensitivity but otherwise stuck with the recipe as written and just love it. It will go in our permanent rotation.

Hi. I made this the other day and it turned out well. It’s delicious. Next time I’ll add some chili pepper because I found the cardamom and cinnamon is a bit too sweet for my taste and I’ll use light coconut milk instead of the full cream. Another great recipe! Thanks

Hello! I never leave comments on the internet. Not that I’m opposed to it, I just never remember or feel like recipes warrant a comment.

This recipe warrants a comment.

This soup is unreal delicious. I’ve made it twice- the second time with full fat coconut cream and I cannot tell you how good it is. I served it over quinoa tonight for a much needed, filling and healthy vegan dinner. The addition of lime/lemon juice at the end really makes the difference- don’t leave it out.

Thanks so much for your lovely comment, Katie! I’m so happy you enjoyed the soup – it’s definitely a new fav around here. I LOVE the idea of serving it over quinoa, too! I’ll have to give that a try. :)

I found this recipe when googling red lentil soup recipe. I have to say, this is the first time I have ever written a recipe review but I could not, not comment on how amazing this soup is.
I am a really good healthy cook, although we are not vegetarians, we eat mostly vegetarian dishes and this soup is one of the best soups I have ever had. I made it exactly as written and would not recommend changing a single thing. Upon finding this recipe I decided to navigate your website and found the chickpea salad which I just finished eating…..omg, another winner. I also made that exactly as written and it was perfect. I finally found a recipe website that I can feel good about and I know I will be trying a lot more of your recipes. Thank you.

Bina, I’m so flattered by your “glowing” review of this soup. Nothing makes me happier than hearing how much a recipe is enjoyed. It’s definitely one of my favourite soups too. I hope you enjoy many recipes to come! Happy cooking!

Just made the Superfood Crunch Salad. Another winner. I was up all night reading your recipes and making my grocery list; I even told all my friends at the gym about ohsheglows.com. It’s no wonder you’ve received so many awards. I can’t thank you enough for all the delicious recipes. I look forward to making many, many more.

This is soooooo yummy! I may or may not have eaten it for Lunch as well as Dinner the other day and breakfast this morning. I used fresh tomatoes (instead of tin) which I chopped in the food processor. Such a great recipe. Thanks Angela.

This was great!! Thanks for the recipe!
My grocery didn’t Have red lentils, so I used the yellow lentils I had on hand. Did let them cook a bit longer than suggested time until they were tender (but I also did 1 full cup bc I like soups a bit thicker). Also I had to substitute the turmeric for curry powder and the cardamom for a bit of nutmeg. And I just used water instead of stock (oops!). Even with all the substitutes the soup was delicious and easy! Thanks!

This soup was absolutely wonderful! Very tasty and packs a crazy punch in the health department. All that turmeric!! I added some Indian Kashmiri Chilli for an extra spicy kick, and it hit the spot! So morrish I went back for seconds (and a half… )

Firstly, wow!!! This is an amazing recipe. Delicious and super healthy.
I made a couple changes. I used brined garlic instead of capers for a more garlicky Caesar. Not because I don’t like capers, but because I didn’t have any. I will likely use them or green peppercorns next time. I also added an 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and also a quarter teaspoon of crushed red chilies for a little heat. Wonderful. Wonderful.

Hi from the UK, my daughter has just become a vegan and I am a vegetarian – this soup looks amazing and we’ll definitely give it a try. Just bought your latest book and this evening we had the African Peanut Soup – it was divine. Had a tiny bit left so I liquidised it and added some light coconut milk – perfect for taking to work for tomorrow’s lunch, many thanks and keep up the excellent work xx

Made this last night and it was a hit for the whole family.
I added carrots and served it with flat bread.
Thank You for all your hard work ! My family benefits greatly from all
your healthy delicious recipes.

You have done it again Angela- so delicious! I just finished my first bowl and I’m already trying to figure out where I can hide the leftovers from my partner so I don’t have to share! This is going in the regular rotation- thank you!

Oh. Em. Gee. I just made this, and it is delicious! I’m in Texas, and it’s hot outside, and I don’t even care that it’s making me sweat :) It never ceases to amaze me that every recipe on this site comes out perfectly!

Hi Kelly, I haven’t tried this recipe without coconut milk myself, but I’d recommend replacing it with a thick homemade cashew milk, if possible. My suggestion would be to blend 1 1/2 cups water with 3/4 cup soaked and drained cashews until smooth, then stir this in rather than the can of coconut milk. If cashews aren’t an option, an unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk might work in a pinch (although it won’t be as creamy and rich). Hope this helps!

This was sooooo good! It was such an easy dinner for us. I love having a recipe that doesn’t require going to the store for ingredients. I passed this around as a taste test to my teenage daughter and three of her friends and they all loved it. Thank you!

I started to eat vegan and of course know your blog. This recipe caught my eye today, because I wanted something to take to the office. I just finished cooking it. Easy to make and I had to restrain myself not to eat everything at once!

I work at a nursery school / preschool and our wonderful chef made this recipe for lunch one day. All of the children adore it (even the infants!) and it has quickly become a favorite of the staff, too!

Angela, I just want to tell you that this has become one of my all time favorites. I make it often and it never, ever disappoints! I’ve been using chard out of the garden lately – just fantastic! Thanks for another winner!

I don’t usually leave comments for recipes, and although I’m not vegan I love to eat as healthily as I can, so after trying a few of your recipes I could not resist commenting!
your avocado chocolate mousse is hands down the BEST chocolate desert i have ever tried! I cannot get enough of it my family and I go through bags of avocados a day making it! it is straight up raw chocolate cake batter, just WOW.
the same goes for the spiced lentil soup I am about to make my third batch in 2 days..the best soup I have ever made/tried! I am so so excited to try all your other recipes, as is my husband and baby girl…thank you thank you! and good luck with everything

This recipe is delicious !! Thanks Angela ! I put some diced potato in mine aswell , while I was cooking the onion and garlic .. Turned out so yum ! And my fiancé who is a meat eater was very satisfied . I can’t wait to make it again :)

EXCELLENT! Just made it and it’s delicious. I omitted cumin and added ginger and red curry paste near the end of cooking. I’ll definitely be making this again playing with what vegetables I have on hand. Thank you for the awesome recipe!

It’s a chilly day in Toronto today and this soup was just the thing to beat the chill! I accidentally bought tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes, so mine is a bit redder and a bit thicker but super delicious! I added some fresh cilantro at the very end. Thanks so much!

I make this recipe all the time! It is sooooo good and addicting! Every time I have made this I have put the crock pot on high and let it cook for a few hours. Sometimes I throw in chicken breasts or thighs, but in that case I cook it on low.

I made this for the first time according to the recipe (delicious!), and the second time I made it in the slow cooker. It worked perfectly! I just threw everything in (didn’t bother cooking the onions first) except for the greens, which I put in about five minutes before devouring it. I cooked it on high for three hours and then on low till I was ready to eat it. I used coconut milk from a box instead of the full-fat can, so it was thinner than usual, but also the soup can’t reduce as much in a crockpot anyway so I expected it to be thinner. I discovered my body can’t digest garlic very well so I left it out this time around — there’s so much flavour from the spices that I didn’t even miss it! I love this soup and I’ll have to make a double batch next time.

Wow, it was amaazing! Popped in a tad but too much cayenne and the heat made me sweaty! That or because I was constantly leaning over the pot for seconds and thirds.
It was delicious, we all loved it and will make again!

I’ve made this soup at least 10 times already – it is so good and it leaves a good amount left over for lunches :)

Plus it’s so nice to have the ingredients on hand and just be able to throw it all together. I had never made something like this, so it was a fun new thing to try. Thanks for another amazing recipe Angela! You never disappoint!

(I need to go back and try your other lentil soup that someone else commented on!)

I’m so glad to hear the soup’s such a hit, Linsey! :) And I just love how convenient the ingredients are, too. It’s one of my fave things about the dish! Thanks for the lovely comment, and your enthusiasm for my next cookbook. I hope you love it when it finally arrives!

Was planning to make something else but when I saw the picture of the soup I wanted to make it instead. I added too much cinnamon by mistake but it was still delicious. I added savoy cabbage instead of the spinach and really enjoyed using the turmeric and cardamom, I wouldn’t have usually used them in a soup. Served mine with pumpkin seed toast and coconut oil. Yum!

Made this today and it was soooo good!! I made a few subs as I didn’t have red lentils nor canned tomatoes or cardamom. I used green lentils, garam masala and one fresh tomato + some tomato paste. Lovely meal. Thank you for the recipe!

Hey Angela, when I went out to buy the ingredients for this delicious looking soup I couldn’t remember if you had used coconut cream or coconut milk. So I picked up 2 cans of coconut cream on a whim only to learn that you consistenly use coconut milk in your recipes. Do you think the 2 products are substitutes or are they completely different things?

Hey Kaitlyn, I don’t think I have used coconut cream before! Is it a can with just the white cream and no water? One “regular” can of full-fat coconut milk tends to have about 3/4 to 1 cup of the white cream in it (along with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of coconut water? Just guessing), so you could always measure this out.

This was absolutely delicious! I made it this evening and it was so simple to put together. I loved the flavours of the soup so much! I’ve made countless recipes from your website/cookbook and they have all been a hit. Thank you, Angela, I appreciate all of your hard work!

I just made this mostly in the microwave (heat wave…)and it worked very well! So delicious and my two picky eaters loved it. I added chopped chicken for my carnivore boy and called it shawarma soup (Avengers reference ).

Just tried out this recipe. Found it very watery. Would recommend less broth, or possibly more coconut milk as well as more lentils and onions. Love your recipes, but have to say this wasn’t a stand out.

I can’t remember if I rated this already, but I saw it linked in your post on make-ahead meals for parents and decided I needed to sing its praises again. I am not even a huge fan of soup—or lentils!—and I loooooved this soup, made exactly as is. So did my fiance. And then it reached higher levels of perfection the next day paired with whole wheat crackers. Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.

I have made this soup several times before and each time it tasted amazing! I haven’t made it in a while though because this Summer has been ridiculously hot…so I was wondering if I could add in a sweet potato to this? Would I just chop it up and let it cook along with the red lentils? Thanks!

I saw this recipe yesterday morning and couldn’t wait to try it, so made it for breakfast! Absolutely delicious! This soup is creamy and filling, and very satisfying. I like a lot of “stuff” in my soup, so I added mushrooms, carrots and cabbage in addition to the spinach. I feel like I could eat this every day! (And I am indeed eating it again right now… even better a day later.) Thanks for the great, flavourful recipe!

Oh my goodness! This soup is absolutely amazing! Something to comfort me during those long, drawn out Canadian winters and heathy too! I added a fresh jalepeno pepper instead of flakes and substituted 1 cup of the onion with one cup diced carrots because I’m not a huge fan of onions and it turned out great!

Perfect recipe as is! I’ve made it twice. The second time I added carrots and 1/4 cup of tomato paste. I like it both ways and this will be a new staple at our house! I’m a few days post partum and this is just what I needed for recovery. Make it! Fast!

Hey Lisa, I’m so glad you like this soup! It isn’t in the new cookbook, but there are a number of other really great soups that are just as quick and easy. (This includes a Golden French Lentil Stew, which you may especially like if you’re a lentil fan!) My Favourite Vegan Chili isn’t in the second book, either…though there’s a killer recipe for Chili Cheese Nachos that may be up your alley. :) I hope you enjoy the new cookbook when it arrives!

Hey Pauline, That’s a tough one! I think replacing the coconut milk with an unsweetened, unflavoured non-dairy (and nut-free) milk would work, although the soup won’t be quite as creamy and rich. If you try anything, please let us know how it goes!

AMAZING!!! This super is mind blowing, so easy and so good. I made a few additions to it to get rid of some produce from my fridge (bag of coleslaw cabbage mix and 1/2 yam cubed). Will be making this again today because the first pot only lasted two days with the husband devouring a bowl any chance he could get.

Side Note: I wish the Oh She Glows app would become available for Android devices soon!

I seriously never write comments on other people’s blogs. I’m not sure why, I guess no other recipe compelled me to write one. But this recipe of yours was so amazing, I needed to let you know you’ve done an awesome job with it! I substituted the spinach with kale, and it tasted amazing.

Wow! When the first day of Autumn arrived this week, so did the craving for a good warm soup. This one is by far the best lentil soup I’ve ever tried. I thought I was going to put some in our freezer, but I don’t think there will be any left to do so. So good!!

Can’t believe how easy this was! So delicious! I needed something to replace the onions, so decided on celery and I would have never known the difference. It added just the right amount of bulk and texture. Followed everything else as written..perfection ??

Angela,
I love this soup so much, just made it tonight. My little 1.5 yr old boy loved it too! The flavour is so delicious and I love how it comes together in about 45 minutes. I used the broth that you recommend in your book #1 and I doubled the lentils for a thicker soup. This soup was plentiful – I was able to make supper for myself, my husband and my little guy, plus 3 lunches, plus 3 little freezer meals for the little guy….so great. I love your blog and your cookbooks and I tell everyone I can about them. You are an inspiration, and your story is so similar to my own…..we are looking to expand our family with baby #2 as well right now! I will, as always, continue to look to your blog and books to feed my family with delicious, healthy, vegan meals. Thank you for what you do. As far as I’m concerned you started an era of similar blogs and teaching the world about the best way to nourish our bodies with plant-based foods. Please know you are admired and loved in Ottawa, Canada =)

Angela, I LOVE this lentil soup and have made it a few times! I”m going to share this link with my group… we’re doing a 10 day turmeric challenge in a couple of weeks and I think people will love this. I hope that’s ok! It’s just so darn good and really unique. Thank you so much!

Threw my first ever vegan dinner party last night and this soup (first course of four) was a huge success. It smells exotic and exciting, but the guests did generously salt and pepper their soup bowls. I found with chili flakes and salt and pepper it was magic.

I must say. This is amazing. Just had leftover today and added some cayenne. Thanks to all the recipes you share. It helps brand new vegans stay vegan. Websites like yours are so amazingly helpful. No one I know is a vegan except my husband who is also transitioning. Making foods like is what keeps me going. Because it has to taste amazing.

Made this last night for dinner for the family, everyone really enjoyed it! I added a few extra fresh chillies to mine to give it a bit more of kick (swapped for the cinnamon because I’m not a big fan), such a great recipe for the colder months and very filling!

Hi there! This looks delish :) If I soak my lentils overnight before making this (to get rid of the phytic acid and make them more digestible), when would you recommend adding them? (since they won’t take as long to cook)

This soup is INCREDIBLE. I am actually in a state of shock, wondering am I in some alternate universe? Did I die and go to heaven? How is something SO DELICIOUS even possible??

I am very excited and grateful for your recipes – I will be trying more of them and I am asking for your cookbooks for Christmas. You have made me realize that I could easily enjoy being vegetarian, something that I never believed until now, so you may just have changed my life and my health with your recipes. Thank you!

I soaked my lentils overnight in water, doubled the recipe, and used a BIG bunch of flat (Italian) parsley instead of spinach, and a lemon instead of lime because those were what I had on hand.

I think this must be the best lentil soup in the universe! This isn’t just great soup, it is like a sacred, spiritual experience to eat it!

Angela I just wanted to tell you how inspiring you are, I bought your new book and have made several of the recipes all amazing so far, everyone who has tried the flourless brownies and sweet potato coconut curry has loved them however those are just two of the many I have made and had people try. Thank you for your talent and sharing it with everyone you are amazing.

Hi Susan, I’m so glad you enjoy the soup! We love it too. :) It’s not in either of my cookbooks, though it can be found on my app (currently available on Apple devices only, but soon to be available for Android, too!).

Not being familiar Indian-typed flavors/spices, it took me some courage to make this soup. I’ve made it three times, twice for international folks, and once for American folks. All who’ve had this soup, including my wonderful husband, love this recipe. The time I made it for American folks, three people asked for the recipe, and one, who was sick at the time, said he instantly felt better after eating it, taking more home with him to continue mending from his cold. Thanks for this recipe, Angela!

This was one of the first of your recipes that I tried and it is delicious. A lot of dishes that we tried out from your blog and your cookbooks have become hits in my family.
Being from Europe I am used to measurements in liters (milli liters) for liquids and in grams (kilo grams) for solids. Even though I have been living in the US for the last 16 years I still find the guessing game bewildering to cut up solids in( how big or small? of) pieces to squeeze them into a little cup instead of just weighing the ingredient. So the first time I make a recipe I usually go through the trouble of measuring the american way but weighing all the ingredients on a scale that are more than just a Tbsp or tsp, or liquids I add up in ml. A lot of times I use the adding method by putting the bowl on the scale and resetting it to zero for every new ingredient.
So my request for future cookbooks would be: SI-unit ingredient lists
I know some of your recipes do have gram and liter measurements and I am always happy to find one!
Keep up the amazing work!
Eve

Hi Eve, I’m so happy to hear your family has been enjoying my recipes so far! :) I’m also pleased to be able to let you know that my second cookbook, Oh She Glows Every Day, does provide metric measurement equivalents (yay!). Thanks so much for your lovely comment.

Totally late to the party but I wanted to share that I made this soup last night for our lunches for the week, and my husband says it’s the best soup I’ve ever made. The flavours are so complex and beautiful, I’m just tickled with this recipe!

I’m really looking forward to picking up “…Every Day” (or maybe getting it from Santa!) and I’ve downloaded the app to compliment your original cookbook. Thank you so much for all you do!

Hey Ginny, Great question! Red lentils tend to break down and get mushy when cooked, which is why they’re great for thickening up soups and stews (so if those are the kind you’ve been using, not to worry — that’s supposed to happen!). But if you don’t like that mushier texture, you may prefer to use green or brown lentils, which hold their shape much better. I hope this helps!

I have made this a few times and it’s a hit. One time I didn’t have butternut squash so I just used more sweet potato, the next I didn’t have the lite coconut milk so I used the creamier one and it was fantastic. It’s so delicious that my vegan and non-vegan friends and family love it just the same. It’s truly delicious. I have loved everything I have made. I also wanted to comment on how fantastic the app is as well. Fantastic job making it easy to use and it’s beautiful. It’s my go to app for cooking.

Just finished my second bowl of your lentil soup, Oh my gosh! So delicious, I did add shredded rotisserie chicken to add some protein but stayed true to the recipe. I’m so glad this made a lot so I can more. Thanks again.

Oh wow, I don’t know if I can even begin to choose a favourite! There’s always the eenie-meenie-miney-moe method? Haha. Whichever one you pick, I hope you love it! (And you can always try the other one another night.:))

Hi Kristin, Unfortunately, I haven’t calculated that information for this recipe (though some of my older recipes do have nutritional information provided). There are great free online tools you can use to find out the nutritional data you’re looking for, though, such as nutritiondata.com or caloriecount.com, as well as free apps like MyFitnessPal. All you need to do is plug in the recipe and you should be able to quickly find out what you want to know! I hope this helps.

I love this blog, have the first cookbook and also the app. When this recipe came up on the app, I decided to try it. I’m going to be honest, it was fine but it wasn’t amazing like so many other OSG recipes.

I followed the recipe to a T but both my Indian partner and I felt the turmeric flavour was too strong. Perhaps I needed to cook it longer, exposed to direct heat? Excessive or uncooked turmeric has a very distinct flavour that I am now sensitive to after having cooked and consumed lots of Indian food.

Also, due to the spices included in the recipe, for some reason I expected the flavor profile to be stronger, more like an Indian dish so was a bit disappointed that the spices were lighter but that being said, the flavours were all balanced and the soup would be very suitable for someone looking for something on a more Western level of spice, than Eastern.

Both of us felt virtuous eating the soup and whether we liked the turmeric flavor or not, we were both happy to ingest it for its many health benefits.

Hi, I just wanted to say that I tried this recipe today and loved it! I have some allergies (coconut and tomato) so I replaced the coconut milk with soy milk and the tomato with carrot, celery and peas and it was to die for!
Thanks again!

This is my new favourite recipe! I’ve made it twice, and both times I subbed cashew milk (just the kind you buy in the carton) to make it even lower in fat and calories. Because that takes away from the creaminess, I blended with a hand blender when it was done (spinach and all) to make a smooth “creamy” soup. Absolutely delicious!!

My new favorite soup recipe! This was FABULOUS!! I’ve had a bag of red lentils from Costco in the cupboard for ages. I’ll have them used up before long now that I’m armed with this recipe. YUM. I added about 1 t of cayenne. Dangerously good. 10 stars! Thank you for sharing! I can’t wait to try more items from your site.

Hi Sharon, Absolutely! The texture may change a little, as red lentils tend break down much more than green lentils or common brown lentils, and in this soup they are used to provide body and thickness as opposed to an intact “chewiness”. That being said, I’m sure French green lentils (which hold their shape) would add a great twist to this soup, so feel free to experiment! Hope this helps!

I made this soup when it came out on the app and my husband and I love it. Creamy, great flavor and quick. We’ve also made the Express Red Lentil Soup on the app… my husband was using my phone to make the Express soup and ended up making this one instead. We found when searching by category on the app, the Express soup is not listed. It’s only found when searching by order posted. No worries as we love this Spiced version and I have the Express saved as a favorite, but could be difficult for others to find.
I’m also a new mom (5 wk old) and have been making the New Mom Glo Bars and Thumbprint breakfast cookies! Thank you for all of your recipes. Nearly all of our meals come from the blog or one of your cookbooks!

Hi Bev, I’d suggest replacing it with a thick homemade cashew milk, if possible. Try blending 1 1/2 cups water with 3/4 cup soaked and drained cashews until smooth. Stir this in rather than the can of coconut milk. If cashews aren’t an option an unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk might work in a pinch (although it won’t be as creamy and rich). Hope this helps!

I made this soup today and i absolutely love it!!! Even my husaband who is so picky, had a bowl and said it was great. It was so quick and easy and definitely a soup I will be making more often, at least once a week. I read the reviews and some people found that the red lentils were smushy, but I took the soup off the stove at about 17 minutes and it was perfect. Not smushy at all. Thanks for the great recipe :)

Hi,
Made the glowing spiced lentil soup today.i followed ingredients exactly. I used Whole Foods light coconut milk. I only had to buy cardamom. What a fragrant spice. It is like perfume! The soup did. It did not last long. I should have made a double pot, but usually don’t the first time…in case not good. Well, it is delicious. Thank you. I don’t recall where I first saw your link, but will look for more recipes. Linda

This was SO delicious! I made two additions.
1. 1/2 Serrano pepper, minced (added with the garlic).
2. 3 sweet potatoes, cubed and boiled (I served the soup over the potatoes).
The spice from the pepper and the sweetness from the potatoes put the dish over the top!
Thank you, Angela, for your delicious, healthy recipes. You are a gift from God. :-)
Blessings to you and your family.

Amazing! I think I am addicted to this soup, and it is going viral around our town as everyone I have recommended it to also loves it. :) I have been adding half a head of chopped cauliflower to give it some extra body and it is just delicious. Thank you for this recipe!

thanks for this recipe! It looks incredibly delicious and so I have featured it today on my “Super Quick Plant-Based Recipe” FB site. I think my group will love it!
https://www.facebook.com/SuperQuickPBRecipes/

Hi Angela,
I’ve been following you since I went plant based about 6 years ago and just want to say I really enjoy your recipes. Particularly enjoyed following your pregnancy and am currently on baby #2 plant based. (Your recipes have really helped!) I made this recipe last night as part of my prep for the week and LOVE the taste and simplicity. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of the instant pot but it was made in that which made it twice as easy. If you haven’t seen them around you should check them out! It will be a regular rotation for sure.
Thank you for being so wonderful and sharing all your recipes (:

Thank you for posting the measurements in both cups and grams! I have a budget of approximately $120 for my meals, so it’s been a necessity to calculate how much each meal serving costs to see if I can make it a regular staple in my diet. Not only does posting the two measurements make it easier for me to cook, but it also helps me to know what meals I can add on a regular basis! Posting the yield amount has also been a huge help too.

Made this tonight. Still at the dinner table and had to share our thoughts….four big THUMBS UP! We love this soup and agree it has a place in our recipe rotation. We especially like that it has turmeric, protein packed lentils, and a whole container of spinach. It is so healthy and yet oh so good! Thank you for this fab recipe.

This soup has been my go to recipe for a potluck Wednesday night soup supper my church hosts once a month… wound up bringing it 4 out of 6 months to honor enthusiastic requests… with copies of your recipe from your website!

sometimes I have just added a good curry powder to it if I don’t have the specific spices!

Just made his for lunch and it was great! I threw in a knob of ginger since I was out of cardamom and used the reduced fat coconut milk (although I can see how it would be heavenly with the full fat). Thanks for another winning recipe, Angela!

Made this today, and it was amazing! That cayenne pepper does add a kick to it! :) The only thing I didn’t have on hand was a can of diced tomatoes, so I ended up adding fresh tomatoes instead. Absolutely delicious! Thank you!

I made this last night and it was perfect! I was looking to use up some red lentils I had and this was an easy, quick, and delicious way to do it! I did the recipe exactly as suggested (except I used lite coconut milk that I already had) and added a few TB of chili flakes,and it was delish!

Oh my!! Looked up a lentil soup recipe and discovered you. And u must glow from the love coming from my husband and I. One of the best soups ever!! Made it on a campfire and ate the lot between us in one go. Utterly divine. Thank u sooooo much!

Hi there! I’m sorry, I don’t have the nutritional info on hand, but you should be able to get a fairly quick breakdown by plugging the recipe into an online tool like caloriecount.com or nutritiondata.com, or even a free app like MyFitnessPal. Hope this helps!

Just stumbled upon this recipe on your beautiful app and made it since I had all the ingredients on hand. Wowzer!! So delicious and so insanely easy to make! Barely any clean up required. Chopping so many veggies is often the difficulty of being plant-based but this is probably the easiest and flavourful recipe I’ve made in ages! Keep these great and easy recipes coming, Angela!

Wow! Wow! Wow! This was crazy good!!! So much flavor! Made it twice already. Thank you for all the healthy recipes. You make eating healthy fun and adventurous! I’ve made several from your book and all of them have been incredibly tasty!

I just watched the documentary (what the health) last night. I’m diving in whole hardedly to becoming vegan! I feel so lucky to have found your website. This will be my first of many vegan meals… I appreciate YOU💓💓

Angela, this is my absolute favourite soup – bar none. I have the recipe committed to memory and ALWAYS have the needed ingredients in my pantry. I sometimes add some ground coriander, and often double the turmeric called for, to pack an extra healthy punch.

Hey Stephanie,
I’m glad I’m not the only one who makes soup in the summer (unless you are in the Southern Hemisphere, that is!), and that you love this soup so much. I honestly think it’s one of my top 3 of all time. :) I’ll be eating it all fall and winter long I’m sure. Have you tried the 8-minute pantry dal yet? It’s a good one to have on hand (easy to remember!), and works with a variety of veggies.

Hi Laura, It’s not necessary for this recipe, but I can’t see why you couldn’t (though I haven’t tried it yet myself). I’m sure soaking the lentils beforehand would also cut down on the soup’s cook time, which would be a nice bonus. Please let us know how it goes if you try it!

Tried this recipe yesterday. I used a 3 lentil blend, added 2 potatoes, fresh corn, kale instead of spinach (because I am growing tons of kale) and fresh tomatoes because I have around 25 tomato plants. It was so delicious I am putting at the front of my recipe box. If you are not vegan you could add a dollop of sour cream along with fresh cilantro before serving. Thanks for making cooking plant based food fun for everyone!

I have made this soup dozens of times, seriously. Love it, and it’s so easy to throw together even on a busy weeknight. Chop an onion and go. One time, I was making it and opened a container of what I thought was veggie broth, and it turned out to be oat milk. I had poured half the container in before I realized lol. That batch had to be started over, but I hadn’t put anything in but the onions and spices at that point so oh well, right? I thought, well, I’ll never make THAT mistake again! Wouldn’t you know, tonight I am making yet another batch, and I already had the tomatoes and coconut milk in, when I started to pour “veggie broth” and realized it was once again oat milk! I only had a few splashes in so I’m carrying on here. I really need to keep my plant milks and veggie broth in separate places from here on out!

Just tried this today, and mine turned out waaaaaay darker than yours did in the photos. Regardless, the flavour is amazing. I found the spices still a little “raw”; perhaps I didn’t cook them enough with the onion/oil combo at the beginning?

In any event, it’s been a meal prep dish for a couple days away, so hopefully that rawness will mellow a bit. Even if it doesn’t, it’s still a fantabulous soup.

Oh, and perhaps I should mention: I’m in Australia, where the weather is certainly warming up…. but I still love a good lentil soup, regardless of the weather! :D

Hey David, Oh, interesting…it does sound like the spices might’ve been a bit different. Either way, I find the soup does benefit from a sit, so I hope it gets better and better for you So glad to hear you’re still enjoying soup despite the weather…that’s totally me in the summer too. It just makes for easy meals so it’s hard to go a couple seasons without it. If you find it too hot for warm soup, I’d recommend my gazpacho…really lovely and refreshing at the peak of summer! http://ohsheglows.com/2011/05/20/gazpacho/

This is a fantastic soup!!! Thank you! I made a double recipe and used only 1 can of full fat coconut milk (400 ml or 13.5 oz). It turned out absolutely delicious. I will definitely add this to the top of my list of favorite soups. Cheers.

Angela, thank you thank you thank you for creating this soup!!! It was so outrageously delicious! I followed your recommendation and used the full fat coconut milk and it made all the difference. My meat and potatoes, lentil hating boyfriend LOVED the soup and couldn’t believe how flavorful it was!

I made this last night and it was amazing! I had to swap out some ingredients due to a lack of planning, but still incredible. I did not have cardamon, so I threw in a bit of mystery curry powder (smells like curry, doesn’t have a label, haha.) Also didn’t have diced tomatoes so used a can of El Pato Tomato sauce with jalapeno. For broth I used chicken. So good, I will make again! Next time I plan on adding some shrimp for additional protein. Loved it.

Hey Shea, Don’t you love when you can tweak a recipe and it still turns out great?
Oh and I had to laugh at this comment “smells like curry, doesn’t have a label, haha.” you just never know what’s lurking in the spice rack, am I right?!

I just discovered your recipes and made this recipe 2 days ago. It was so delicious that I immediately texted it to friends and family members, Today two friends and my sister made it and loved it also! I have picked up your second cookbook Oh She Glows Everyday but I am definitely thinking your first cookbook is in my future, Thank you!

This was fantastic! I used Garam Masala in place of the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves (a little over half a tsp) and used Swiss Chard in place of spinach! Delicious! I just ordered your book can’t wait to try more recipes!

I loved this soup !!
The best soup I have ever had !
Love the spices with the coconut and lime.
I will make his again and again !!
Have tried a few of your recipes and they are all good !
The protein goddess bowl I have made a few times.
Thanks Julie

I have been meaning to make this recipe for a while now, and I’m not sure why it took me so long… I just made it and am sitting down to a bowl of it now. It was SO easy to prepare, and it is so flavorful and warming on a cold day. I didn’t have cardamom, so I left it out. And I used lite coconut milk, and (though I’m sure it would be much more creamy with regular) it is perfectly delicious and satisfying. Thank you!

We made Golden French Lentil Stew (I did the prep, my husband put it together) from Oh She Glows Every Day, It’s almost the same as this soup, but with a few differences. The book calls for different flavorings–thyme and no cinnamon or cardamom, cashew cream instead of coconut milk, and French lentils instead of red. Really fabulous results and substantial enough for a meal. The occasion was a small gathering to watch “Wonder Woman,” and the stew helped us focus on Gal Gadot’s amazing kicks and swirls. We increased the recipe by 50% and look forward to another stew night but probably not a movie reprise for a while.

This soup was delicious!! I did make a couple of adjustments but not much – used half cinnamon and nutmeg in place of the cardamom as I couldn’t find any in my small town. I also added 1 cube of not-chicken bouillon for a little more flavor. I used both cayenne and red pepper flakes and the hint of spice was just right. The lime juice at the end cut into the sweetness of the soup so I do think that’s a must. Making another batch today and doubling it! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!!

Hey Reagan, So happy you both love it so much! It’s on regular rotation over here. :) You can probably swap in white beans, but I would probably suggest reducing the broth a bit since the beans (I’m assuming they’ll be pre-cooked) won’t absorb any liquids like the lentils do. Maybe just add a bit of broth at a time. If you try anything out I’d love to hear how it goes!

I’ve made this so many times and my family loves it! Today, my 9-year old son asked specifically for this dish and I felt like I should comment how much we enjoy it! I have made it with the tiny black lentils when I don’t have the red ones. The black lentils seemed to take longer to cook, but had a great earthy flavor too. Thank you for the recipe!

Absolutely unbelievably delicious. I am not vegan or vegetarian but I know a killer recipe when I see one and just polished off the last bowl from my first pot of this lentil soup – I will be making this again and again. SO good!!

I was starting an anti inflammatory diet and was searching for recipes. I came across your site and found your spiced lentil soup recipe. I just made it and it was delicious. I couldn’t wait for my family to come home to try it. I can’t wait to feed it to my family later. Thank you for this recipe and I look forward to trying more of your recipes.

I just made this. It was alright. I probs won’t make it again though. I love Indian food and I love lentil soup, but I guess I don’t love Indian spice flavored lentils. The coconut milk just made the soup too sweet. I like my lentil soup to be really savory, so this recipe didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

Hi,
I may have emailed you the first time I made the soup also. That time I only made a single batch because I wasn’t sure if it would turn out OK. This time I made a double batch! It is 90° today in Boston, and we are having a delicious soup for dinner. The weather does not matter. I also love the smell of the cardamom. I’m serving it with my salmon loaf that I make in the food processor with Whole Foods red sockeye salmon and lots of vegetables. Fresh green beans and watermelon too. This is my kind of Memorial Day food.

I know you’ve already gotten her ndreds of comments about this recipe, but I simply can’t keep from telling you how much I love it. It is everything that I like in a recipe and the balance of spices is perfect. Thank you for sharing it with the world!

This soup was easy to make. I am lazy so I used pre-cut onions and garlic. I like my food on the spicy side so I added a hefty teaspoon of curry powder and topped the soup before serving with cilantro. OMG AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!

This is the first recipe comment I’ve ever left in my life. I’m doing it because I can’t say enough how delicious this soup is–extraordinary! I made a number of substitutions because I didn’t have a few ingredients so just used what I had on the shelf or in the fridge: leek instead of onion; yellow lentils and a few green ones instead of red; beef broth instead of veggie; kale instead of spinach; fresh tomatoes instead of canned. It all worked! The spice components are perfect and the coconut milk gives a great flavor and texture. Included the cayenne, and the lime is the perfect finish!

I loved this soup! I am not vegan/veg, mostly because I haven’t found any I like, mostly kids like, I loved this!
Since I didn’t have all the ingredients, like veg broth, I used my canned carrot/green bean water and added carrots ommited spinach cause I didn’t have it. It still turned out delish! I can’t wait to try it all ingredients included!
I’m about to make my daughter your hubby’s get well soup
Thanks for helping me make vegan(ish) delicious!

Hey Heather, I’m so glad you loved the soup! Nice call using the liquid from your canned veggies, too. I hope your daughter enjoys the Healing Stew! That’s a total throwback recipe, and I’d love to hear what you and your family think.

Love this soup. Doubled and made with 1 full fat coconut milk and 1 light. So quick to throw together. Be prepared to share the recipe with everyone that try’s it. I’m 5 for 5 right now! It’s 95 degrees here today and 3 people are craving this for lunch! Thanks for a delicious recipe!!

Hey Logan, I can’t see why not. I would sauté the onion/garlic first on the stovetop, and then add everything to the crock pot and cover and cook over low heat. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it.

Hey Megan, You know what I haven’t tried anything besides coconut milk I don’t think. The coconut milk lends such a nice richness and I love it in this soup. I wonder if a thinned our cashew cream would be nice too. I think a traditional non-dairy plant milk might be a bit on the thin side for this rich soup, but if you try anything out I’d love to hear what you think!

I accidentally used tablespoons instead of teaspoons for the spice measurements, and I used light coconut milk because that’s what I had and because I watch my fat intake. So good! My husband even ate it, and he rarely eats things he’s never had. Thank you!

This recipe has become my go-to for the colder months. Now that it’s September, I’m so excited to make it again and again! Angela, THANK YOU! With my vegetarian/dairy free diet, it’s so hard to come across recipes that are both comfort-food AND healthy.

Scrumptious! Used rainbow chard in lieu of spinach because that’s what we are presently harvesting from our garden. Will print out and add to my recipe binder that I keep placed next to your fabulous “Oh She Glows” cookbook:)

This soup is delicious! I love the flavors and the addition of lime really brings it out. However, I was hoping this soup would be thicker in consistency. I ended up blending half of the soup with a Vitamix and combining it with the other half that wasn’t blended, and it was perfect! Creamy and thick, while still maintaining the chunkiness of the whole lentils, onions, and tomatoes. Thanks again for another wonderful recipe!

What a lovely recipe! I have an odd question, I am allergic to tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Do you think I can make this recipe omitting those flavors/ingredients? Any substitutes you would recommend? Thank you so much!

Hey Becky, Oh that’s a tricky one…it would lose quite a bit of flavour for sure. The tomatoes add some tanginess which balances the other flavours nicely. But you might be able to try adding more lime juice (to taste) until everything pops at the end? Also I assume you can’t have anything like leeks? That would be a swap suggestion for onion, but I assume that’s also out for you? I’d love to hear how it goes if you try anything!

Hi!
Needing this for a staff lunch this week. Wondering if instead of making it the night before and keeping warm all morning at work I just get there and put all prepped ingredients in the slow cooker for the morning!?! Worried that that lentils will get too mushy if it’s done before? Thoughts? 3 hours on low? Thanks!

Hey Lisa, Oh interesting thought! :) I’ve found when making soups in the slow cooking I typically need 8 hours (or more) on low or 5 hours on high, though it can depend on the recipe of course. So I worry your soup wouldn’t have enough time is slow-cooking for just a few hours in the morning. If it was me I would probably cook it as usual, store the pot in the fridge, and then reheat at work (assuming your work has a stovetop, otherwise I’d pop the soup into glass containers). But if you try anything I would love to hear how it goes! :)

Hey Amy! I find most soups/stews convert to the IP well – the toughest thing is getting the timing right! :) That can take some experimentation. I can’t recall if another reader said they made this in the IP successfully – you may want to scan over these comments if you haven’t already. I always recommend sautéing the garlic and onion in the oil first (5-6 mins, stirring frequently and adding a splash of water if it starts to stick), then after the saute adding the rest of the ingredients. I find 5-7 minutes at high pressure is generally good for soups. I’d love to hear how it goes!

This soup was good. I added a bit of fresh ginger and a couple of shakes of cayenne pepper. I reduced the cardamom to 1/8 tsp and only used half a lime. I also finely chopped the onions. Other than that, I followed the recipe. But the red lentils took at least 40 minutes, not 20 like the recipe states. I gave some to a couple of friends today and they both liked it.